Scraps from Tale of Cerine
by AngelaMay234
Summary: Pieces of a fanfic I may or may not ever actually finish. I just really want to post them to see if anybody would read it. Constructive criticism and ideas welcome!
1. Wounded and Wandering

A girl stumbled down the tunnel, clutching her side. She kept her other hand in front of her, collapsing on her stomach after slipping in a puddle. Her skin was dangerously pale, her ragged hair lying limp and dirty against her forehead. She groped blindly a moment longer, gazing up at them with weak, glazing eyes.

"P-Please...help..."


	2. Medicinal Concerns

The group waited restlessly in the dojo, their eyes locked on the cracked sliding panel that led to Splinter's room. April came out first, wiping her hands on a surprisingly clean towel.

"How's she doing?" Leo voiced the question first. April sighed.

"We stopped the bleeding, but she's got a long way to go," she tilted her head. "What happened to her?"

"We don't know," Mikey said. "She came out of nowhere."

She sat next to them, tucking her feet beneath her.

"Why didn't you take her to the hospital?"

"There wasn't time," Donnie cut in. "Besides, what would've happened if they saw giant, talking turtles bring her in?"

She smiled slightly, remembering most people would probably panic. She glanced back toward the door, her grip tightening unconsciously on the towel.

"You think he'll let her stay?"

"He has to," said Leo. "He can't send her back out there like this."

"What if whoever attacked her comes back?"

"We didn't see anybody following her," Raph spoke up. Mikey shook his head.


	3. Missing the Details

"Hey, whoa, Cerine, you shouldn't be out of bed," Donnie went to her side, catching her before she fell. She struggled feebly against him, too weak to even open her eyes.

"I have…to go," she muttered. "Can't…let them find me…"

Donnie sighed, picking her up and carrying her back to Splinter's room. Mikey and Leo shared a worried look, Raph hiding his behind a comic book. Donnie came back a few minutes later, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Anyone have any idea what she was talking about?" he asked. The others looked at each other.

"All we know is she was running from something," said Leo.

"We just don't know what," Raph added.


	4. The First Questions

"So, what happened?" Raph asked, his usual gruff tones softened for some reason. "How'd you end up down here?"

She shook her head, holding the thin cover to her chest.

"I…don't remember," she said weakly. "What do you mean?"

"You keep getting up," Donnie said. "Saying you have to go and you can't let them find you."

She shook her head again, faster than before. That sent her into a coughing fit, blood appearing in the palm of her hand. Splinter put a comforting hand on her back, April offering her a glass of clean water.

"I think we should let our new friend rest for now," Splinter said quietly. The girl coughed again.

"No, it's okay," she was breathing heavily. "I'm fi…"

She fainted, shivering with fever. Splinter laid her back down, putting another blanket over her. The turtles left one by one, until only Leo remained.

"Is she gonna be okay, Master Splinter?"

The rat sighed, shrugging.

"I'm afraid I am doing all I can," he said. "We will just have to wait and see."

"Yeah," Leo bowed his head, then stood, drawing his swords. "I'm gonna look in the tunnel where we found her. Maybe I can find something."

Splinter nodded.

"Be careful, my son."

Leo bowed his head, then left, sliding the door shut behind him. Splinter sighed again, taking the compress from a bowl of cool water. He wrung it out, laying it gently on her forehead.


	5. You Know Us?

April smiled, motioning to the turtles.

"Cerine, this is Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo and Leonardo."

"I know."

The six of them gasped.

"Wait, you know about us?" Raph blinked. Cerine nodded, smiling tiredly.

"Yeah," she lifted a hand, pointing shakily at them. "Leo's the tactical one, Donnie's the smart one, Mikey's the funny one, and Rafe's the tough one."

She let her hand fall, giving them a coy little grin.

"Though I haven't figured out who the cute one is, yet."

Mikey and Donnie blushed, Raph and Leo looking smug. Splinter cleared his throat.

"How do you know about my sons?"

She didn't answer, having already fallen asleep again.


	6. It's my Move

_I'm a little embarrassed to say this is the longest scene I've got right now, but this is by no means gonna turn into a cross-over._

* * *

"I play Dark Magician and Blue Eyes White Dragon," Cerine sounded stronger than she had in weeks, but what was she talking about? "To attack your Swamp Battleguard and Blue Flame Swordsman."

"Aw man, you just wiped out my life points!" Mikey's tone suggested he was pouting. Leo laughed, nudging the door open with his elbow. Cerine and Mikey were sitting on the floor, holding strange-looking cards.

"What's going on in here?"

"Cerine's teaching me to play Duel Monsters," Mikey smiled. "It's a card game from her dimension."

"Really," Leo knelt next to them, looking over the cards arranged between them. "How's it work?"

"It's kind of hard to explain," Cerine drew a card from the deck near her hand. "But the basic idea is to use a combination of monsters, spells and traps to eliminate your opponent's life points."

Leo chuckled again.

"Sounds like fun," he tilted his head, trying to read some of the cards Mikey had laid down. Mikey groaned.

"It would be, if she gave me a chance," he put on his pout face again. "She gave herself all the good cards!"

"You just don't know how to use them," she gathered the cards in a pile, then started sorting them. Kanji printed in tiny colored circles classified them as wind, water, fire, light, earth or dark. Green cards were spells, while purple ones were traps. "You'll get better if you keep playing. Which reminds me, you lost."

Mikey's face looked like pizza sauce. He rubbed the back of his neck, muttering about how he had to help Donnie.

"What's he have to do?" Leo asked curiously. Cerine giggled, obviously enjoying Mikey's embarrassment.

"If he won, I'd have to try his next culinary creation," her sly grin widened. "But since he lost, I get to kiss him."

Leo burst out laughing, grabbing his little brother when he tried to get away. Mikey struggled, looking like he was about to be tortured.

"Let me go, bro!"

"No way," Leo copied Cerine's grin. "You lost, so pay up!"


	7. Bruised Shoulder

"In my dimension, your lives are a TV show," she explained. "You're all made up."

"Really?" Mikey looked excited. "So, you could tell us what'll happen in the future?"

She shook her head.

"I'm not exactly sure how it works," she said. "All I know is…I…"

She toppled back, Raph barely catching her before she hit the concrete.

"Guess she's not as well as we thought," he picked her up. "I'll take her back to bed."

April watched him go, then turned to the other two. Donnie was in his lab, trying to find a way to take Cerine home.

"Have you guys gotten anything out of her?"

"Not much," Leo said. "She really doesn't wanna talk about her dimension."

He turned, showing her his shoulder. A black bruise stood out against his green skin.

"Ouch," April winced. "You're saying she did that to you?"

"Yep."


	8. Falling for You

Mikey climbed to the top of the building, seeing a girl with long hair leaning against the edge.

"Cerine, there you are," he sounded relieved. "We've been looking all over for you!"

She started to turn, one of the bricks she was leaning on coming loose and falling toward the ground. She followed it, barely catching herself on the edge. Before she could fall, Mikey grabbed her hand, bringing her up with some effort. She pressed against him, shaking.

"You okay?" he asked worriedly. She nodded, looking up at him.

"You saved my life," she hugged him, kissing his cheek. "Thank you."

He blushed, chuckling.

"It's no big deal," he pulled her up with him. "We should get back. Everyone's worried about you."


	9. Nightmare

"No, no let go of me!" she shouted. "No!"

Her fist flew up, slamming into his face. He let her go, holding his eye as he staggered back. She whirled, gasping when she realized who it was.

"Dang," Raph groaned. "You're stronger than you look."

"I'm so sorry," she threw her hands down. She looked around, realizing they weren't in the layer. "I-I was doing it again, wasn't I?"

"Yep," he rubbed his eye. "Man, what were you dreaming about to make you clock me like that?"

"A-A bully," she stared at the ground. "I-I had to deal with a lot of them back home."

"Well, you won't have to worry about that here," he put a hand on her shoulder again. "C'mon, let's head back."

She nodded, looking at his face.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"Nah," he lied. It had hurt. A lot. "Well, nothing I'm not used to."

She smiled, relieved.

"Good."


	10. Tooth Gap

Donnie knelt by Cerine's pallet, determined to wake her from her nightmare.

"C'mon, Cerine," he shook her slightly. "Wake up!"

She fought against him, yelling in fear before punching him in the face. He fell back, holding his mouth and groaning in pain. She pulled the blanket over her head, curling into a ball on her side.

_Man, Raph and Leo weren't kidding._

He stood, going to the main part of the lair, still rubbing his chin.

"Man," Raph chuckled. "What happened to you?"

"Cerine just decked me, that's what," he felt his teeth. "My gap's not any wider, is it?"

The others shook their heads. April cringed.

"Why does she keep doing that?"

"She was having a nightmare about her dimension," he answered. "Whatever happened back there, it was pretty bad."

"You guys still don't know?" April asked.

"Nope," said Mikey. "Whenever we bring it up, she-"

"Completely changes the subject," Raph finished, though kept quiet about just what topics she brought up.

"It's like she wants to forget her dimension even exists," Leo said.

"You think we should keep trying to make her go back?" April turned to Splinter. "What do you think, Sensei?"

Splinter stroked his beard, humming thoughtfully.

"If Cerine returns home, then it must be by her choice," the wise rat said. "Nothing good will come from forcing her."

"Besides, how do we know her dimension isn't more dangerous than this one?" Donnie brought up. "We could be giving her a death sentence if we send her back."

They had to admit he was right. There really was no way of knowing just what kind of place Cerine had come from. Maybe it would be best for her to stay in the layer.

"What if whoever was chasing her finds us?" Mikey blurted.

"There's a good chance she was probably hallucinating," Donnie said. "She was pretty beat up when we found her."

"Yeah, but we still have no idea what caused it," Raph reminded them. He'd been calmer, more level-headed since Cerine had shown up.

"What if she really was running from someone?" Mikey asked, the slightest edge of fear in his voice. Cerine wasn't a weak girl, judging from what she'd done to his brothers. If she was running from something, it was probably terrifying. Splinter placed a paw on his youngest son's shoulder.

"She is still healing. It is too early to plan a course of action.


	11. Raph is Romantic?

She rested her head on his chest.

"You're pretty warm for a cold-blooded reptile," she said lightly. He swallowed, putting his arms gingerly around her. He couldn't remember ever being hugged like this before.

"Well, I, uh..." he gulped. "You're pretty warm for a...warm-blooded, uh, human..."

He wanted to kick himself. Why the heck did he say _that_? She giggled, looking up at him.

"Not as smooth as you think you are, huh?"

He chuckled softly, running a hand through her hair and letting it rest on her cheek.

"You're really pretty for a girl who was almost dead when we found her."

"Not the most romantic thing," she smiled shyly. "But definitely an improvement."

* * *

"I've never kissed a turtle before..."

Raph smiled gently, a rarity for him.

"Well, I've never kissed a human before," he said with soft humor. She giggled again, taking his hand before turning to the sunrise.

"Let's get back, or they might start looking for us."


	12. The End or Not

"Cerine…" Raph fell to his knees, taking her head in his lap. Her breathing sounded even worse than it had when she'd first found them, her scar obliterated by a fresh wound. He held her cheek, tilting her face toward him. "Cerine, please, don't do this…"

She moaned feebly, her lids fluttering. Raph leaned closer to her, tears welling in his eyes. Hers half-opened, a small smile touching her bloodless lips. Then they closed again, her head lolling to the side.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Raph," Donnie knelt, putting a finger to her neck. He gasped. "Wait…"


	13. The Fifth Turtle

He groaned, opening his eyes and shaking his head.

"H-Hey, where is everyone?" he looked around. "Leo? Raph? Mikey?"

A broken piece of mirror lay on the floor near him. He propped it against the wall, his jaw dropping at what he saw. When had his skin gotten so dark, and why wasn't he wearing anything?

"Donnie?" Cerine turned the corner, looking relieved. "There you are! What happened to you?"

"I don't know," he got to his feet, staring at his hands. "I just…"

"Oh, my gosh, you guys!" Mikey's voice burst from his mouth.

* * *

"Hmm, Raph's strength, Donnie's smarts, Leo's cool head and Mikey's humor," she giggled slyly, putting her arms around his neck. "Just what every girl wants."

* * *

"Cerine, where have you been?" Splinter looked her companion up and down. "Who is this? Where did he come from?"

"Well, Master Splinter," she motioned to the turtle. "It's Donnie, Leo, Raph and Mikey. Something happened at the lab and they kind of were…stuck together."

"It's even weirder than it sounds, Sensei," Raph's voice came from the turtle. His black eyes had turned bright green. He blinked, and they darkened to brown.

"We're all still here," said Donnie. "It's just…one mutant instead of four."

He blinked again, his eyes flashing blue.

"And man, is it crowded in here," Mikey came forward. The turtle pointed to his head. "I feel like I'm schizo, uh, schiz-"

"Schizophrenic, Mikey," Donnie spoke up again. "And for once, I agree with you."

"There's gotta be some way to fix this," Raph said. Then the turtle's eyes reverted to black. He turned in a circle, wearing a dazed expression.

"Where the heck am I?" the voice was too deep to belong to the guys. "What happened?"

Cerine stared at him, her mouth gaping.

"Who are you?" she asked. The turtle looked at her.

"My name's Uccello," he said matter-of-factly. "What am I doing here?"

Cerine bit her lip, looking nervous.

"Well, that's kind of a long story…"


End file.
